Investigation of the Effects of Pilates Exercises on Menopause Symptoms and Sexual Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Women

Batman University30 enrolled

Overview

Menopause represents a major transition in a woman's life as estrogen and progesterone levels decline, and this hormonal shift is associated with a range of symptoms that can significantly impact a woman's quality of life, including vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, and urogenital symptoms such as vaginal dryness and sexual dysfunction.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on menopausal symptoms and sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women. The research seeks to understand how an 8-week Pilates program, conducted twice a week, influences the quality of life and sexual function during the postmenopausal period. A total of 30 postmenopausal women were included in this study, divided into a Pilates group and a control group. The Pilates group participated in an 8-week Pilates exercise program, while the control group received no exercise intervention but attended menopause information sessions. Data were collected using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), the Menopausal-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) before and after the intervention. Body Mass Index (BMI) was recorded, but not used in the primary analysis.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Menopausal Syndrome Sexual Dysfunctions Quality of Life and Menopause

Interventions

PİLATES GROUPOTHER

A total of 16 sessions were applied for 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.

Behavioral: lifestyle changesOTHER

presentation including lifestyle changes was prepared and training was provided.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 45 YearsMax age: 60 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Women who have reached menopause * Being physically or cognitively competent to exercise * Those who agreed to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Those with serious heart disease, DM, kidney, liver, thyroid disease and cancer patients * Those receiving hormone therapy * People using antipsychotic medication * Those using steroids and derivative drugs * People using insulin sensitizing drugs Those with musculoskeletal system diseases that would prevent them from exercising Cognitive problems that affect cooperation

Locations (3)

Batman Center

Batman, Gültepe, Turkey (Türkiye)

Batman university

Batman, Turkey (Türkiye)

Türkiye

Batman, Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)

This scale was used to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms experienced by the participants. The MRS covers a range of symptoms, including vasomotor, psychological, and urogenital symptoms. Participants rated the severity of each symptom on a Likert scale, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. The total score of the scale is calculated with the scores obtained from each item. The lowest score calculated from the scale is "0" while the highest score is "44". The scale covering menopausal symptoms consists of 11 items and 3 sub-dimensions. The sub-dimensions are somatic complaints (items 1, 2, 3 and 11), psychological complaints (items 4, 5, 6 and 7), urogenital complaints (items 8, 9 and 10). An increase in the total score obtained from the scale indicates an increase in the severity of the complaints experienced and, in addition, a negative impact on the quality of life.

Time frame: 8 week

Menopausal-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL)

This scale measures the impact of menopausal symptoms on quality of life across several domains, including physical, psychological, and sexual well-being. The MENQOL provides a comprehensive assessment of how menopausal symptoms affect daily life, with higher scores indicating a greater negative impact.MENQOL is a Likert-type scale containing 32 questions. It consists of four sub-areas: vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual. Each sub-area score in MENQOL is ranked from 1 to 8. A score of one indicates that no problem is experienced regarding that issue, a score of two indicates that the issue exists, is experienced but is not disturbing at all, while scores between 3 and 8 indicate the severity and increasing degrees of the existing problem. The maximum score is 256, and the minimum score is 32.

Time frame: 8 week

Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)

The FSFI was used to evaluate sexual function, focusing on domains such as sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Participants were asked to rate their experiences in each domain over the past 4 weeks. Higher FSFI scores indicate better sexual function.The highest raw score that can be obtained from the survey is 95, and the lowest is 4. The total score obtained from the survey shows that there is an improvement in all parameters as the scores obtained from the parameters of sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and general satisfaction increase.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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